Plot
In Emerald Bay, Florida, Lt. Mitch Buchannon is a beloved member of an elite lifeguard division known as Baywatch. The team, including second-in-command Stephanie Holden and veteran C. J. Parker, protects the beaches and the bay. They are opposed by jealous beat cop Garner Ellerbee and Mitch's superior, Captain Thorpe.
On morning patrol, Mitch finds a small pouch of flakka near the Huntley Club, owned by powerful businesswoman Victoria Leeds. Later, he meets Matt Brody, an entitled Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer who expects to make the Baywatch team without trying out. Mitch and Brody compete in a variety of physical tests, which Mitch wins. As the course is ending, a woman and her two children fall into the water, so the lifeguards and Brody rush to save them. Brody makes the team along with Ronnie Greenbaum and Summer Quinn.
A private yacht catches fire, and the occupants are evacuated alive by Baywatch except for city councilman Rodriguez, who dies. Suspicious, Mitch and his team continue to investigate to Ellerbee's disapproval. They infiltrate the hospital morgue, discovering that Rodriguez was murdered. The trio hides, taking a video of Leeds' henchmen planting an autopsy report to cover up the murder, but are discovered, so the recording is destroyed. Thorpe threatens to fire Mitch if he oversteps again.
Convinced Leeds is running drugs through the Huntley, Mitch, and Brody go undercover and witness drugs being retrieved from barrels of fish. When they contact Ellerbee, they learn another dead body has been found on the beach. Thorpe, enraged that Mitch deserted his post, fires him. Brody is named the new lieutenant, although he does not want the job, but is forced to take it.
Brody later sees "sand grifters" (or beach thieves) steal bags using a cooler. He chases them off the beach and keeps the cooler. After finding another pouch of flakka on the beach, Brody uses the cooler to steal the second victim's report from Ellerbee's desk. Bringing it to Summer, she confirms the man was killed by a knife instead of a shark attack.
Ronnie recognizes the victim as his friend Dave, an IT technician who was working for the Huntley Club. Now, Brody finally realizes that Mitch was right about the club. Ronnie hacks into Leeds' servers, finding her plan to privatize the entire beach.
The team infiltrates a private party on Leeds' personal yacht and discovers that she has been using the hull to smuggle kinds of drugs. Brody is captured and thrown into a bait cage. A gloating Leeds reveals she bribed Thorpe to replace Mitch with him before pushing the cage into the water. Before Brody can drown, Summer swims to him and gives him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. However, he is hallucinating and suddenly realizes it is actually Mitch.
They catch up to Leeds before she can escape via helicopter, but she captures Brody. Mitch aims a Roman candle at her, and Ronnie and C. J. launch the fireworks, blowing her up. Ellerbee arrives, takes Leeds' henchmen into custody, and apologizes to Mitch. Thorpe arrives, berating Mitch for returning to the beach. Brody punches him in the face, and Thorpe is arrested for his role in Leeds' plan.
Sometime later, Ronnie and Brody begin relationships with C. J. and Summer, respectively. Mitch, reinstated, announces that Summer, Ronnie, and Brody are no longer trainees and introduces them to their new captain, Casey Jean.
